DYNAMIC MODEL AND SIMULATION OF A NOVEL ELECTRO-HYDRAULIC FULLY VARIABLE VALVE SYSTEM FOR FOUR-STROKE AUTOMOTIVE ENGINES

In modem four-stroke engine technology, variable valve timing and lift control offers potential benefits for making a high-performance engine. A novel electro-hydraulic fully variable valve train for four-stroke automotive engines is introduced. The construction of the nonlinear mathematic model of the valve train system and its dynamic analysis are also presented. Experimental and simulation results show that the novel electro-hydraulic valve train can achieve fully variable valve timing and lift control. Consequently the engine performance on different loads and speeds will be significantly increased. The technology also permits the elimination of the traditional throttle valve in the gasoline engines and increases engine design flexibility.

Risk of permanent pacemaker implantation following transcatheter aortic valve replacement:Which factors are most relevant?

Transcatheter aortic valve replacement(TAVR)has emerged as a formidable treatment option for severe symptomatic aortic stenosis ahead of surgical aortic valve replacement.The encouraging results from large randomized controlled trials has resulted in an exponential rise in the use of TAVR even in the low-risk patients.However,this is not without challenges.Need for permanent pacemaker(PPM)post-TAVR remains the most frequent and clinically relevant challenge.Naturally,identifying risk factors which predispose an individual to develop high grade conduction block post-TAVR is important.Various demographic factors,electrocardiographic features,anatomic factors and procedural characteristics have all been linked to the development of advanced conduction block and need for PPM following TAVR.Amongst these electrophysiological variables,most notably a prolonged QRS>120 ms regardless of the type of conduction block seems to be one of the strongest predictors on logistic regression models.The index study by Nwaedozie et al highlights that patients requiring PPM post-TAVR had higher odds of having a baseline QRS>120 ms and were more likely to be having diabetes mellitus that those who did not require PPM.

Output Waveform Analysis of an Electro-hydraulic Vibrator Controlled by the Multiple Valves

The existing research of the electro-hydraulic vibrator mainly focuses on system stability, working frequency width and output waveform distortion. However, this high frequency performance of the electro-hydraulic vibrator is difficult to be improved greatly due to fast insufficiently frequency response of the servo valve itself and limited compensation capability of the control structure in the vibrator system. In this paper, to realize high frequency vibration, an improved two-dimensional valve （here within defined as a 2D valve） as a main control component is adopted to the parallel connection with a servo valve to control the electro-hydraulic vibrator, Because the output waveforms of this electro-hydraulic vibrator are incapable to be verified through timely feedback as in the conventional electro-hydraulic servo system, the analysis to the output waveform becomes crucial to the design and control of the electro-hydraulic vibrator. The mathematical models of hydraulic actuation mechanism and the orifice area of the parallel valves connection are established first. And then the vibration process is divided into two sections in terms of the direction of the flow, the analytical expression of the excited waveform is solved. Based on relationships exist between working states and the control parameters the analytical results, the vibration boundary positions and the are derived. Finally an experimental system was built to validate the theoretical analysis. It is verified that this electro-hydraulic vibration system could achieve high working frequency, up to 2 000 Hz. The excited waveform is similar to the sinnsoidal waveform. And the ascent and decent slopes of the waveforms are somewhat asymmetrical. This asymmetry is not only caused by the change of the direction of the elastic force but also dependent on the bias position of the vibration. Consequentky the distortion of effective working waveform is less tha~ 10%. This electro-hydraulic vibrator controlled by the multiple valves could not only greatly enhance the working frequency but also precisely control the vibration characteristic variables such as waveform shape.

Characteristics Prediction Method of Electro-hydraulic Servo Valve Based on Rough Set and Adaptive Neuro-fuzzy Inference System

Synthesis characteristics of the electro-hydraulic servo valve are key factors to determine eligibility of the hydraulic production. Testing all synthesis characteristics of the electro-hydraulic servo valve after assembling leads to high repair rate and reject rate, so accurate prediction for the synthesis characteristics in the industrial production is particular important in decreasing the repair rate and the reject rate of the product. However, the research in forecasting synthesis characteristics of the electro-hydraulic servo valve is rare. In this work, a hybrid prediction method was proposed based on rough set（RS） and adaptive neuro-fuzzy inference system（ANFIS） in order to predict synthesis characteristics of electro-hydraulic servo valve. Since the geometric factors affecting the synthesis characteristics of the electro-hydraulic servo valve are from workers＇ experience, the inputs of the prediction method are uncertain. RS-based attributes reduction was used as the preprocessor, and then the exact geometric factors affecting the synthesis characteristics of the electro-hydraulic servo valve were obtained. On the basis of the exact geometric factors, ANFIS was used to build the final prediction model. A typical electro-hydraulic servo valve production was used to demonstrate the proposed prediction method. The prediction results showed that the proposed prediction method was more applicable than the artificial neural networks（ANN） in predicting the synthesis characteristics of electro-hydraulic servo valve, and the proposed prediction method was a powerful tool to predict synthesis characteristics of the electro-hydraulic servo valve. Moreover, with the use of the advantages of RS and ANFIS, the highly effective forecasting framework in this study can also be applied to other problems involving synthesis characteristics forecasting.

Compensation for secondary uncertainty in electro-hydraulic servo system by gain adaptive sliding mode variable structure control

Based on consideration of the differential relations between the immeasurable variables and measurable variables in electro-hydraulic servo system,adaptive dynamic recurrent fuzzy neural networks(ADRFNNs) were employed to identify the primary uncertainty and the mathematic model of the system was turned into an equivalent linear model with terms of secondary uncertainty.At the same time,gain adaptive sliding mode variable structure control(GASMVSC) was employed to synthesize the control effort.The results show that the unrealization problem caused by some system's immeasurable state variables in traditional fuzzy neural networks(TFNN) taking all state variables as its inputs is overcome.On the other hand,the identification by the ADRFNNs online with high accuracy and the adaptive function of the correction term's gain in the GASMVSC make the system possess strong robustness and improved steady accuracy,and the chattering phenomenon of the control effort is also suppressed effectively.

Modeling the Effect of Variable Timing of the Exhaust Valves on SI Engine Emissions for Greener Vehicles

The problem with fixed valve timing that the valve train is set by the automaker for peak efficiency running at a specific point in the engine’s operating range. When the vehicle is moving slower or faster than this ideal operating point the engine’s combustion cycle fails to properly burn the air/fuel mixture leading to considerably compromised engine performance and wastes fuel. Variable Valve Timing (VVT) is a solution developed to overcome this engine deficiency, dynamically altering the valve's opening and closing for optimal performance at any speed. The intension in this work is to contribute towards pursuing the development of variable valve timing (VVT) for improving the engine performance. This investigation covers the effect of exhaust valve opening (EVO), and closing (EVC) angle on engine performance and emissions. The aim is to optimize engine power and brake specific fuel consumption (BSFC) where the effect of engine speed has also been considered. Power, BMEP, BSFC, NO, and CO were calculated and presented to show the effect of varying valve timing on them for all the valve timing cases. The calculations of engine performance were carried out using the simulation and analysis engineering software: LOTUS”, and engine emissions were calculated using “ZINOX” program. Sensitivity analysis shows that the reduction of 10% of (EVO) angle gave a reduction of around 2.5% in power and volumetric efficiency, also a slight increase in nitrogen oxide (NO) and carbon monoxide (CO), while a 10% decrease in (EVC) causes around 1% improvement in Power. The effects of different (VVT) from the simulations are analyzed and compared with those in the reviewed literature.

High precise control method for a new type of Piezoelectric electro-hydraulic servo valve

A new type of piezoelectric electro-hydraulic servo valve system was proposed. And then multilayer piezoelectric actuator based on new piezoelectric ceramic material was used as the electricity-machine converter of the proposed piezoelectric electro-hydraulic servo valve. The proposed piezoelectric electro-hydraulic servo valve has ascendant performance compared with conventional ones. But the system is of high nonlinearity and uncertainty, it cannot achieve favorable control performance by conventional control method. To develop an efficient way to control piezoelectric electro-hydraulic servo valve system, a high-precise fuzzy control method with hysteresis nonlinear model in feedforward loop was proposed. The control method is separated into two parts: a feedforward loop with Preisach hysteresis nonlinear model and a feedback loop with high-precise fuzzy control. Experimental results show that the hysteresis loop and the maximum output hysteresis by the PID control method are 4.22% and 2.11 μm, respectively; the hysteresis loop and the maximum output hysteresis by the proposed control method respectively are 0.74% and 0.37 μm, respectively; the maximum tracking error by the PID control method for sine wave reference signal is about 5.02%, the maximum tracking error by the proposed control method for sine wave reference signal is about 0.85%.

MODELING, VALIDATION AND OPTIMAL DESIGN OF THE CLAMPING FORCE CONTROL VALVE USED IN CONTINUOUSLY VARIABLE TRANSMISSION

Associated dynamic performance of the clamping force control valve used in continuously variable transmission （CVT） is optimized. Firstly, the structure and working principle of the valve are analyzed, and then a dynamic model is set up by means of mechanism analysis. For the purpose of checking the validity of the modeling method, a prototype workpiece of the valve is manufactured for comparison test, and its simulation result follows the experimental result quite well. An associated performance index is founded considering the response time, overshoot and saving energy, and five structural parameters are selected to adjust for deriving the optimal associated performance index. The optimization problem is solved by the genetic algorithm （GA） with necessary constraints. Finally, the properties of the optimized valve are compared with those of the prototype workpiece, and the results prove that the dynamic performance indexes of the optimized valve are much better than those of the prototype workpiece.

Investigation of Semi-Active Hydro-Pneumatic Suspension for a Heavy Vehicle Based on Electro-Hydraulic Proportional Valve

Hydro-pneumatic suspension is widely used in heavy vehicles due to its nonlinear characteristics of stiffness and damping. However, the conventional passive hydro-pneumatic suspension can’t adjust parameters according to the complicated road environment of heavy vehicles to fulfill the requirements of the vehicle ride comfort. In this paper, a semi-active hydro-pneumatic suspension system based on the electro-hydraulic proportional valve control is proposed, and fuzzy control is used as the control strategy to adjust the?damping force of the semi-active hydro-pneumatic suspension. A 1/4?semi-active hydro-pneumatic suspension model is established, which is co-simulated with AMESim and MATLAB/Simulink. The co-simulation results show that the semi-active hydro-pneumatic suspension system can significantly reduce vibration of the vehicle body, and improve the suspension performance comparing with passive hydro-pneumatic suspension.

Semi-empirical modeling of volumetric efficiency in engines equipped with variable valve timing system

Volumetric efficiency and air charge estimation is one of the most demanding tasks in control of today's internal combustion engines.Specifically,using three-way catalytic converter involves strict control of the air/fuel ratio around the stoichiometric point and hence requires an accurate model for air charge estimation.However,high degrees of complexity and nonlinearity of the gas flow in the internal combustion engine make air charge estimation a challenging task.This is more obvious in engines with variable valve timing systems in which gas flow is more complex and depends on more functional variables.This results in models that are either quite empirical(such as look-up tables),not having interpretability and extrapolation capability,or physically based models which are not appropriate for onboard applications.Solving these problems,a novel semi-empirical model was proposed in this work which only needed engine speed,load,and valves timings for volumetric efficiency prediction.The accuracy and generalizability of the model is shown by its test on numerical and experimental data from three distinct engines.Normalized test errors are 0.0316,0.0152 and 0.24 for the three engines,respectively.Also the performance and complexity of the model were compared with neural networks as typical black box models.While the complexity of the model is less than half of the complexity of neural networks,and its computational cost is approximately 0.12 of that of neural networks and its prediction capability in the considered case studies is usually more.These results show the superiority of the proposed model over conventional black box models such as neural networks in terms of accuracy,generalizability and computational cost.

Coordinating optimization-based sliding mode variable structure control for electro-hydraulic servo system

A sliding mode variable structure control （SMVSC） based on a coordinating optimization algorithm has been developed. Steady state error and control switching frequency are used to constitute the system performance indexes in the coordinating optimization, while the tuning rate of boundary layer width （BLW） is employed as the optimization parameter. Based on the mathematical relationship between the BLW and steady-state error, an optimized BLW tuning rate is added to the nonlinear control term of SMVSC. Simulation experiment results applied to the positioning control of an electro-hydraulic servo system show the comprehensive superiority in dynamical and static state performance by using the proposed controller is better than that by using SMVSC without optimized BLW tuning rate. This succeeds in coordinately considering both chattering reduction and high-precision control realization in SMVSC.

DYNAMIC CHARACTERISTICS OF ELECTRO-HYDRAULIC PROPORTIONAL PRESSURE-FLOW HYBRID VALVE

The structure principles under the flow and pressure working conditions are studied, in order to investigate the dynamic characteristics of the electro-hydraulic proportional pressure-flow hybrid valve. According to the structure principles under the two different working conditions, the transfer functions under such conditions are derived. With the transfer functions, some structure elements that may affect its performance, are investigated, afterwards some principles of optimality and effective methods for improving the dynamic performance of the valve are proposed. The conclusions can be used to instruct engineering applications and products designing. The test results conform to the results of the theoretical analysis and simulation, which proves the correctness of the study and simulation works.

Gear Drive Mechanism for Continuous Variable Valve Timing of IC Engines

Continuous variable valve actuating (CVVA) technology provides high potential in achieving high performance, low fuel consumption and pollutant reduction. To get full benefits from (CVVT) various types of mechanisms have been proposed and designed. Some of these mechanisms are in production and have shown significant benefits in improving engine performance. In this investigation a newly designed gear drive mechanism that controls the intake valve opening (IVO) and closing (IVC) angles is studied. The control scheme is based on maximizing the engine brake power (P) and specific fuel consumption (BSFC) at any engine speed by continuously varying the phase between the cam shaft angle and the crank shaft angle. A single-cylinder engine is simulated by the “LOTUS” software to find out the optimum phase angle for maximum power and minimum fuel consumption at a given engine speed. The mechanism is a planetary gear drive designed for precise and continuous control. This mechanism has a simple design and operation conditions which can change the phase angle without limitation.

Nonlinear variable structure excitation and steam valving controllers for power system stability

A set of novel nonlinear variable structure excitation and steam-valving controllers are proposed in this paper. On the basis of the classical dynamic equations of a generator, excitation control and steam valving control are simultaneously considered. Design of these controllers combines the differential geometry theory with the variable structure controlling theory. The mathematical model in the form of ＂an affine nonlinear system＂ is set up for the control design of a large-scale power plant. The dynamic performance of the nonlinear variable structure controllers proposed for a single machine connected to an infinite bus power system is simulated. Simulation results show that the nonlinear variable structure excitation and steam-valving controllers give satisfactory dynamic performance and good robustness.

Research and Development of Electro‑hydraulic Control Valves Oriented to Industry 4.0:A Review

Electro-hydraulic control valves are key hydraulic components for industrial applications and aerospace,which controls electro-hydraulic motion.With the development of automation,digital technology,and communication technology,electro-hydraulic control valves are becoming more digital,integrated,and intelligent in order to meet the requirements of Industry 4.0.This paper reviews the state of the art development for electro-hydraulic control valves and their related technologies.This review paper considers three aspects of state acquisition through sensors or indirect acquisition technologies,control strategies along with digital controllers and novel valves,and online maintenance through data interaction and fault diagnosis.The main features and development trends of electro-hydraulic control valves oriented to Industry 4.0 are discussed.

Mechanism of electro-hydraulic exciter for new tamping device

A new tamping device which is driven by an electrohydraulic exciter was proposed to overcome the limitations of mechanically driven devices.The double-rod oscillation cylinder drives the tamping arm to realize vibration.A new spin valve was designed in order to fulfill dynamic state requirements of the oscillation cylinder.Parametric analysis was carried out by establishing mathematic model.Then,the relationships among the structure of valve port and the frequency,amplitude,output shock force of the cylinder were researched.An experimental device of the electrohydraulic exciter was established to validate the theoretical results.The signals were acquired by AVANT dynamic signal analyser of vibration.The results show that new tamping device can satisfy all kinds of complex working conditions with the flexible adjustment of frequency and amplitude.

RESEARCH ON THE PERFORMANCE OF NEW TYPE OF PROPORTIONAL PESSURE AND FLOW CONTROL VALVE

A new closed loop flow controlling principle through correcting the valve'sopening area while load pressure is changing is carried out. Further more a principle using only oneproportional valve to compound control pressure and flow is suggested. By using very simpleproportional throttle valve in structure, the functions that five kinds of proportional valves orany two of them combined possess can be complimented. After analyzing, comparing, and testing thedynamic and static characteristics of valve with different controlling principles and main valvestructure styles, the optimized structure styles and control methods are achieved.

Separate Control of High Frequency Electro-hydraulic Vibration Exciter

The working frequency of the conventional electro-hydraulic vibration exciters,which consist of a servo valve and a hydraulic cylinder,is generally restricted within a narrow range due to limited frequency response capability of the servo valve itself.To counteract such restriction,a novel scheme for an electro-hydraulic vibrator,controlled by a two-dimensional valve（2D valve） and a bias valve in parallel,is therefore proposed.The frequency,amplitude and offset are independently controlled by rotary speed,axial sliding of the spool of the 2D valve and axial sliding of the spool of the bias valve.The principle of separate control was presented and the regulation approach of frequency,amplitude and offset was discussed.A mathematical model of the hydraulic power mechanism for the proposed vibration exciter was established to investigate the relationship between the amplitude and the axial sliding of the 2D valve＇ spool,as well as that between the offset and the axial sliding of the bias valve＇s spool at various frequencies.An experimental system was built to validate the theoretical analysis.It is verified that the 2D exciter is capable of working smoothly in a frequency range of 5- 200 Hz.And its frequency,amplitude and offset can be controlled respectively by either closed loop or open loop method.There is a linear relationship between the output amplitude and the spool axial opening of the 2D valve until a point when the flow rate becomes saturate and the amplitude remains constant.The offset displacement of the cylinder＇s piston is linearly proportional to the axial displacement of the spool of the bias valve,when the valve opening is less than 25%.Thereafter,the slop of the offset curve decreases and tends to saturate.The proposed electro-hydraulic vibration controlled by the 2D valve not only facilitates the realization of high-frequency electro-hydraulic vibration,the high-accuracy of vibration can also be achieved by means of independent controls to the frequency,amplitude and offset.

PRINCIPLE TO CLOSED LOOP CONTROL DIFFERENTIAL CYLINDER WITH DOUBLE SPEED VARIABLE PUMPS AND SINGLE LOOP CONTROL SIGNAL

To control the position of differential cylinder closed loop without usingany throttle elements, a flew idea that two speed variable pumps are used to compensate thenon-symmetric flow of differential cylinder is carried out. According to the leaking property of thesystem, a speed offset principle is also proposed to eliminate the cavitation and tension caused bythe leakage and condensation of oil, which makes the system be in the same state as a valvecontrolled circuit. This principle is explained theoretically and experimentally. Further therelationship that the pressures in cylinder chambers change with load and leakage, and therelationship between biasing speed and pre-load pressures in cylinder chambers are established. Theresearch has proved that the new system has similar technique features as those of controlled withservo valves, but due to the elimination of all the throttle lose the efficiency of system can beimproved greatly.

DYNAMIC CHARACTERISTICS OF LARGE FLOW RATING ELECTROHYDRAULIC PROPORTIONAL CARTRIDGE VALVE

A kind of cartridge servo proportional valve is discussed, which can be used for controlling large flow rate with high performance. By analyzing the structure principle of the valve, the transfer fimction of the valve is derived. With the transfer function, some structure elements that may affect its performance are investigated. Through the numerical simulation and test study, some principles of optimality and effective methods for improving the dynamic performance of the valve are proposed. The test results conform to the results of the theoretical analysis and simulation, which proves the correctness of the study and simulation works. The paper provides theoretical basis for engineering applications and series expanding design works